Hypoglycemia and Your Loved One

Home Care in Amagansett NY

When your loved one has diabetes, it’s important to manage his blood glucose effectively. That can mean avoiding highs that are too high, but it also means avoiding lows that are too low. A low that is too low is called hypoglycemia and it’s a good idea to make sure you can recognize it when it hits.

What Is Hypoglycemia?

Hypoglycemia happens when your loved one’s blood sugar levels drop to an extremely low level, usually below 70 mg/dl. Sometimes, though, a loved one will show signs of hypoglycemia at a slightly higher blood sugar level. The symptoms of hypoglycemia are an important warning system for your loved one’s body because it lets him know that his levels are dropping and that he needs to test and to manage his blood sugar.

Symptoms of Hypoglycemia     

There are some common symptoms of hypoglycemia, but your loved one may not show all of them. There are likely to be a certain few symptoms that your loved one tends to exhibit most often when his blood sugar falls into the lower range. As you become more accustomed to your loved one’s individual symptoms, you can spot hypoglycemia earlier. Here are some of the symptoms to watch for:

• Confusion
• Anxiety
• Shakiness
• Sweating or chills
• Irritability
• Faster heartbeat
• Nausea
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Blurry vision
• Headaches
• Muscle weakness or lack of coordination

Ignoring Hypoglycemia

Sometimes people who experience hypoglycemia don’t realize that their blood sugar is low or they simply ignore the situation. It can also happen at night when they’re asleep. Ignoring or being unaware of these symptoms is called hypoglycemia unawareness. Your loved one is more likely to experience this if he has low blood glucose levels often or tightly controls his blood sugar levels. Both of these situations make your loved one less sensitive to the early warning signs of hypoglycemia.

Treating Hypoglycemia

The most common form of treatment for diabetics with hypoglycemia is to test their sugar first, then consume 15 to 20 grams of glucose or carbohydrates. After 15 minutes, check blood sugar levels again to make sure that they’re coming up. If the sugar levels are still low, repeat with additional carbohydrates, wait, and test again. Make sure that you talk with your loved one’s doctor about a treatment plan for hypoglycemia, though, since your loved one may need a slightly different plan.

Let your loved one’s home care providers know if he’s likely to experience hypoglycemia so that they can be on the lookout for signs and symptoms.

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring professional home care in Amagansett, NY, call the caring staff at Artful Home Care today at 631-685-5001.